Beaver activity impacting water level
Observation: Beaver Dams are getting closer and closer to our community and the water level along with the increasing warm winters are causing our lake levels in Chignik lake and black lake to get lower.
LEO Comment: With the decline in fur prices, beaver populations have been growing in many parts of Alaska. Climate change is also a factor - with the treeline extending up watersheds and northward, beaver range has been expanding in some areas. This is a concern from a landscape perspective as beaver are major drivers of environmental change, with both positive and negative impacts on fisheries and watersheds in general.
Health Consult: From a health standpoint, beaver are carriers of vectors for waterborne disease including giardia. People collecting water from traditional sources need to take proper precautions if beaver are in the watershed. To prevent illness water should be treated either by boiling or using other appropriate filter or treatment systems. M. Brubaker
We have contacted ADF&G's Dillingham office for a wildlife consult.
Resource: See, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Life Notebook: Beaver
